Grand Collider
Tactical Analysis *'Putting the "Grand" in Collider': The Grand Collider is an advanced Tier 3 base defence for the Allies. It has a triple barrelled Collider Cannon that is capable of firing highly damaging protons at relativistic velocities that will devastate anything. *'All Rounder': In the event of an emergency, the Grand Collider can unleash a barrage of protons in a 360 degree arc, which will decimate everything in a radius around it, even friendly units. *'The Price of Science': The Grand Collider is the most expensive base defence in the Allied inventory, rivalling even the Proton Collider in terms of cost. In addition, they require the presence of a Defense Bureau before they can be constructed. *'Slow Traverse': Additionally, for all its strengths, it should be noted that the Grand Collider has its weaknesses, among them a painfully slow turret traverse, low rate of fire, and a vulnerability to aircraft. Background Ask any child from the Allied Nations which is the biggest failed invention in recent times and they will answer (although not necessarily with correct pronunciation), "The Harbinger Gunship". Mere years ago, the Harbinger seemed poised to revolutionise the entire Allied Air Force with its capability to level anything in its path. In initial trial runs, its Collider Cannons surpassed all expectations. Capable of levelling tank companies in a single volley, the Collider Cannons could do as much damage as a Cruiser barrage. However, as development continued, the problems started adding up. The sheer mechanical complexity and intricacies of the design meant that the Harbinger had to undergo an entire week of maintenance for each operation it made. This, when coupled with the ridiculous costs the project had racked up, dissuaded Allied High Command from continuing to sponsor the project. The once mighty and proud Harbinger Gunship had since been relegated to museums and air shows. After the complete and total failure of the Harbinger Gunship, one would expect FutureTech to steer way clear of Proton Technology for a while. After all, out of FutureTech's three failed projects, the Harbinger was the one that drew the most publicity and resources. However, with bankruptcy just around the corner, FutureTech clutched at each and every straw it could find to keep it afloat. Naturally, their successes in Proton Technology were great stepping stones to climb back up and away from bankruptcy. Such development into Proton Technology has yielded the Mesofortress Gunship, a more compact and effective, if admittedly less impressive successor of the Harbinger Gunship. Then, in early 1969, FutureTech presented the Grand Collider. Allied High Command was understandably highly suspicious. This was mainly due to the fact that the Collider Cannons and the Collider Fuel Cell mounted on the Grand Collider were salvaged from the Harbinger Gunship's research. With the PR relations nightmare after taxpayers discovered that their money was going into ridiculous projects like the Harbinger, Allied High Command turned down the Grand Collider without a second thought. Undeterred, FutureTech prepared a Grand Collider construction template and an MCV they were supposed to be upgrading, and gatecrashed the trials of the Ares Mobile Solar Cannon. The ground was filled with Peacekeepers running everywhere while trying to avoid the treads of the three-storey tall vehicle as it barrelled through the walls of the compound. Even the driver of the Ares Mobile Solar Cannon fled for his life when the MCV headed straight for him. When the dust finally settled, the officials suddenly realised that they had a little more company than they would have liked. Standing right beside the Ares was a fully deployed, fully operational MCV with a FutureTech Logo painted on its side. Beside the Construction Yard was a much smaller building armed with a giant triple barrelled Collider Cannon. As the stunned officials watched on, the Grand Collider proceeded to destroy a Mastiff tank target in the blink of an eye. Then, the Grand Collider unleashed a storm of protons in a 360 degree circle around it, annihilating the rest of the targets in a flurry of explosions and leaving a cratered test site in their place. Naturally, Allied Command forgot their past qualms about the weapon and approved it immediately. FutureTech got their biggest contract to date, even larger than the $120 million Mesofortress contract, but they also got a $300,000 fine and had their MCV driver jailed for a month on the grounds of "destruction of public property, attempted murder and anti-government activities". The Grand Collider, on the other hand, has gone from strength-to-strength; from guarding bases against insurgents in the United States of America, to protecting Allied bases worldwide. Additionally, FutureTech has deployed a number of these defences to protect their main compound in Asterdam, and Grand Colliders are also being used to supplement or replace aging Grand Cannon emplacements. And so ends the tale of the Harbinger Gunship, as it lives contently in the great museums of the world, knowing that it is continuing to serve the Allied Nations in the field of war. Behind The Scenes *The Grand Collider was conceptualised, modelled, and textured live on multiple Paradox Casts. Engineer Shychild installed its secondary. *The Grand Collider is essentially what the Grand Cannon of Red Alert 2 was, and was renamed from the "Proton Turret" to pun on that as well. Just the Stats Category:Buildings Category:Allied Defences Category:Allied Structures Category:Allied Nations Category:Units Originating from the Netherlands